Train strike

2022 - 9 - 15

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Tentative Deal to Avoid Rail Strike Is Reached, Biden Announces (The New York Times)

President Biden announced the agreement after negotiations brokered by the labor secretary lasted deep into the night.

“The agreement is also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come.” “It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years.” Those plans included working with trucking companies, ocean shippers and other alternative forms of transportation to ensure some supplies could still get to their destinations. The Association of American Railroads “The tentative agreement reached tonight is an important win for our economy and the American people,” Mr. Union Pacific, a rail carrier, praised the deal. That possibility had already shaken both freight and passenger rail companies. Such a stoppage also risked creating shortages on store shelves that could have sent consumer prices soaring, further adding to an inflation rate that reached a four-decade high this summer. The agreement grants that ability, giving workers one additional paid day off and an ability to attend medical appointments without penalty, labor unions said. The announcement had a swift effect for rail passengers. While the vote is tallied, workers have agreed not to strike. The talks brokered by Mr.

White House announces 'tentative' deal to avert rail strike (The Washington Post)

The White House on Thursday morning announced it had reached a “tentative” agreement to avert a national rail strike that had threatened the nation's ...

None of the parties involved in the talks has confirmed the number of unpaid sick days for which workers will be eligible, and details about other provisions in the agreement remained unclear. Instead, Biden pursued the high-stakes strategy of focusing on securing a deal at the bargaining table. Workers also can take time off for routine doctor’s appointments without being penalized, and would not lose attendance points for hospitalizations and surgical procedures, according to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Biden had grown animated in recent days about the lack of scheduling flexibility for workers, expressing a mixture of confusion and anger that management was refusing to budge on that point, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of private conversations with the president. “These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned,” Biden said in a statement announcing the deal. Three of Biden’s Cabinet secretaries, his top economic adviser and his chief of staff were involved in the talks on an hourly basis, and White House aides drafted contingency plans for protecting the nation’s drinking water and energy systems if a deal had fallen through.

White House says tentative deal reached to avoid rail strike (Axios)

"The tentative agreement reached tonight is an important win for our economy and the American people," President Biden said.

[looming rail strike](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/14/railroad-unions-marty-walsh-rail-strike) was averted and a tentative deal struck between the freight rail operators and their unions. What's happening: The tentative agreement now goes back to the unions for a vote. [potential railroad workers' strike](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/12/possibility-of-railway-and-port-strikes-threaten-supply-chain-recovery). [looming freight rail strike](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/12/possibility-of-railway-and-port-strikes-threaten-supply-chain-recovery). - One sticking point had been working conditions. - Virtually every part of the economy needs functioning railways.

Biden says tentative railway labor deal has been reached, averting a ... (NPR)

President Joe Biden said Thursday a tentative railway labor agreement has been reached, averting a potentially devastating strike before the pivotal midterm ...

"It means a way to attract and retain great workers," Buttigieg said. Under the tentative agreement, workers will be able to take time off for medical care without facing discipline, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the SMART Transportation Division confirmed in a joint statement. Yesterday, Amtrak announced that it was canceling all of its long-distance trains due to the threatened strike. Wednesday night to urge groups to "be flexible, be creative, get a deal done," an official said. Thursday, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh called to announce they had a deal. Union members still have to vote to ratify the agreement before it is finalized.

Rail strike averted after Biden announces tentative deal (CNN)

Unions and management reached a tentative deal early Thursday, averting a freight railroad strike that had threatened to cripple US supply chains and push ...

Biden announces tentative deal to avert U.S. rail strike (NBC News)

The agreement, which members of the nation's two largest freight rail unions must vote to approve, marks a victory for a resurgent labor movement that the ...

[CSX](https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2021/10/20/csx-corporation-csx-q3-2021-earnings-call-transcri/) achieved a record low operating ratio — a key industry measure that gauges the share of revenue eaten by expenses, like labor — for the third quarter. For example, he created a task force to protect employees’ rights and has worked to undo rollbacks of worker protections under the Trump administration. The panel recommended last month that workers be given raises amounting to a 24% increase over a five-year period ending in 2024, with a 14% raise backdated to 2020 to be made available immediately. (CNBC and NBC News are both part of NBCUniversal.) BLET and SMART-TD hailed the tentative deal in a joint statement Thursday. “This is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers and for their dignity and the dignity of their work,” Biden said. He also called the tentative pact a victory for railway operators, saying it would boost their ability to hire and retain workers, and hailed the carriers as vital “backbone” of the economy. If rank-and-file union members vote not to approve the plan, it won’t take effect and they could find themselves back in negotiations. “They’ve been through the pandemic and through all of the work they’ve done for us.” Hinrichs was not directly involved in the negotiations. Rail workers often are on-call 24/7 year-round and are allotted time off only after being called to a number of consecutive on-call shifts. But while rail operators had already agreed to those compensation changes before Wednesday's talks, a key sticking point remained: attendance policies that workers said made taking planned days off nearly impossible. There will also be exemptions from attendance policies for hospitalizations and surgical procedures, and workers will gain an additional paid personal day each year without fear of discipline.